As Sosuke's murmur rang across the field, everyone watched.
The Kyoka Suigetsu in Sosuke's hand suddenly seemed to shatter like a mirror, its glittering fragments falling piece by piece.
An imperceptible ripple abruptly spread across the field.
The ninjas present watched in surprise, unable to understand what Sosuke was trying to do.
And then, the next moment!
In the blink of an eye, Sosuke was still standing where he had been, a faint smile on his lips and the Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand. The blade was completely unharmed.
"Huh! Was that just my imagination?"
A Konoha Ninja rubbed his eyes vigorously and spoke uncertainly.
"You... you saw it too? I think I saw the blade in Lord Sosuke's hand shatter..."
Beside him, another Konoha Ninja spoke, just as bewildered.
Jiraiya and the others froze when they saw this. Their memories seemed to be pulled back to the time they had graduated from the Ninja Academy many years ago.
This scene... felt familiar.
It seemed... the same thing had happened back then, when Sosuke fought Tokino...
Jiraiya and the others looked at their companion, who stood in the sky with an air of arrogance. He was utterly different from the gentle, bespectacled boy in their memories.
They couldn't help giving a faint, bitter smile.
Had everything changed... or had they simply chosen different paths?
At that very moment, Sarutobi and Ōnoki furrowed their brows slightly.
Ōnoki warily scanned his surroundings and spoke in a deep voice.
"Kid, do you think releasing a genjutsu will have any effect on me?"
Sarutobi's expression darkened as he carefully considered the details. His cloudy eyes held a trace of sorrow.
Standing high in the sky, Sosuke slowly returned the Kyoka Suigetsu to his waist and slipped his hands into his pockets. He glanced at